Press

St. Louis — Leisa Collins, an acclaimed national artist who specializes in paintings of historic homes and buildings, presented two individuals in Benton Park with her latest Leisa Collins Historic Preservation Award for their stellar actions to save and fully restore two pre-Civil War cottages that had been abandoned for over a decade.

Awardee, Ray Simon, an architect and noted rehabber in Benton Park, had the vision to rescue the two crumbling relics on Missouri Ave. Together with partner Mel, they transformed the fading structures into what is often described as one of the coolest properties in the neighborhood.

Tarpon Springs preservation project honored

Receives national artist’s award

TARPON SPRINGS – Nationally acclaimed artist Leisa Collins selected Dunedin resident Joseph Kokolakis, president of K.J. Kokolakis Contracting, as the recipient of the Leisa Collins Historic Preservation Award for his work on saving a Ring Ave. bungalow from ruin.

The event was hosted by marketing and public relations specialist, and friend to Collins, Gracia Bennish.

The craftsman-style home is at 108 N. Ring Ave., though that is not its original location, according to Phyllis Kolianos, vice president of archives at the Tarpon Springs Historical Society and a member of the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board.

Beautiful buildings, many owned by regular folk, and others by “heroic” property-owners, who’ve painstakingly restored often decrepit but historic houses, have been at the center of Leisa Collins’ around-the-world and grand artistic adventure.

Having now created house portraits in 46 states and in 35 different architectural styles — Craftsman bungalows, Victorian, Tudor and other historic homes — Collins’ work reflects an architectural tour of buildings across America.

DC in Design

Thursday, March 31st, 2016

By Jennifer Sergent

One of my good freelancer friends recently moved with her family from Falls Church to Vienna, but they took a piece of their old house with them in the form of a beautiful watercolor sketch, which is now a lovely reminder of all their good times there. Architectural paintings can be so much richer than photography—there’s something about the paint strokes that gives them personality and character.

That’s why I was excited to learn about Leisa Collins, an artist who splits her time between DC and California. She’s painted homes all over the DC area, and is in the process of developing a book of her architectural paintings from all 50 states.

Portraits of Home

Artist Completes La Jolla House Portrait Series

Thursday, December 17th, 2015

Glendale’s architecture provides inspiration for artist

Sunday, November 1 2015

By Arin Mikailian

Artist Leisa Collins is a fan of strolling through Glendale neighborhoods, but she has an even bigger fondness for architecture that will occasionally stop her right in her tracks. When she comes across a visually-striking home, she whips out a drawing pad and starts to sketch.

On Saturday a celebration was held on the new site of a very old Monrovia Carriage Barn. Several years ago, the barn was threatened with destruction when the house with which it was associated was sold. Through the efforts of the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group (MOHPG), the carriage barn was saved.

Local Artist Paints Monrovia Houses

Local artist Leisa Collins has completed the first phase of a series of pen and watercolor architectural house portraits featuring 26 homes she loves in Monrovia. She is working on a book that will include Monrovia house portraits along with paintings featuring homes and diverse architectural styles across 43 states…

San Marino Historic Preservation Award

Professional Artist Leisa Collins Enjoys Backdrop of South Pas

Thursday, August 14, 2014

By Sarah Stukan

Though it may go relatively unrecognized, the city of South Pasadena is comprised of homes with exclusively individual architecture. Professional artist Leisa Collins is one resident who utilizes this subtle quality to her benefit.

Woodbine Twiner

Woodbine’s own Zell Millard was awarded the Leisa Collins Historic Preservation Award for his efforts to rescue and preserve the Merry Brook Historic School House. The award was presented to Millard at the school by the international artist Leisa Collins herself who is a native of Auckland, New Zealand.

Alexandria News

January 6, 2011

by James Cullum

Today, when Camille Leverett was sworn in as a member of the Alexandria Commission For Women and Leisa Collins as a member of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, their business and community service partnerships officially merged. Leverett owns BeautyFull Boutique, the City’s only consignment shop catering to plus-sized women, and shares space with Collins, an accomplished artist and owner of studio/workshop Creative Art Nexus.

Del Ray Patch On-line News Alexandria Virginia

A public mural appears to be coming to the Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Del Ray, but not before the project is discussed and public comments are collected.

The Del Ray Mural Youth Project, which is to coincide with next month’s Art on the Avenue festival, proposes a temporary art piece to be painted on the exterior wall of the recreation center’s gymnasium. Local artists Leisa Collins, Corinne Marlowe, Forest Allread and five youth teams will help construct the mural during the festival on Oct. 2.

Alexandria Time On-line Article Virginia

Putting Face to Home

June 3, 2010

Artist Leisa Collins was travelling with her husband across the country from the West Coast, searching for a new place to live, when they took a wrong turn and ended up at the foot of Duke Street and Old Towns waterfront.

Jay’s Blog

October 13, 2010

With decades of service to the community, and hundreds of talented individuals under its wings, the arts scene in Alexandria is quite impressive. In this setting, it takes a lot for a newcomer to make a mark. With her own deft touches, newcomer Leisa Collins is doing just that.

New Zealand Press

High Country Herald

South Canterbury’s best-read community newspaper, New Zealand

Artist paints art with a message

Visual artist Leisa Collins stopped in at the Mt Cook-Aoraki village recently as part of a national painting tour in which she is retracing the footsteps of her journey through the South Island 30 years earlier.

Rotorua Daily Post

Painting a house portrait

A quick stop over in Rotorua to see family turned into a more lengthy painting spree for New Zealand artist Leisa Collins. “I’ve just toured 11,000 km across America on a painting tour and have been all over New Zealand in the last few weeks, however Rotorua has the most beautiful lake-side homes I’ve ever seen!” said Leisa. “I started selectively putting flyers into the letterboxes of these homes and have got very good response.”

USA Tour Press

Capitol Weekly

Art Tour

Artist and activist Leisa Collins stopped by Sacramento on Sept, 13 as part of a 6,000-mile tour around the U.S. She held painting lessons at the Capitol to protest the cuts to arts education in the latest California budget. She’s shown here with student Sara Benassini of Carmichael and her painting of the Capitol. Photo by Bruce Goodman.

Grand Canyon News

Serving Grand Canyon, Tusayan & Vale

Art with a message visits western Canyon Leisa Collins makes Grand Canyon part of her national tour

By Patrick Whitehurst

After two decades spent in social activism and traveling the globe, artist Leisa Collins is once again focusing on art. The New Zealand-born artist is traveling across the country as part of her new “Across the USA: Through the Eyes of an Artist” tour. Collins stopped near the western rim of the Grand Canyon in early September after leaving from Los Angeles Sept. 3. Her tour will end at the end of the month in New York.

Mariposa Weekly Gazette

The Official Newspaper of Mariposa Country

Yosemite is a key spot on artist’s tour of America

Capturing the “places, faces and homes of America on camera and on canvas”, Yosemite National Park was one of the highlights of the Across the USA from the Eyes of an Artist tour and the subject of an open air painting session on the shores of Lake Tanyere. The journey marks the re-emergence of visual artist Leisa Collins into the art world after two decades of global travels and social activism.